DANC board adopts budget with higher insurance, pension costs

The Development Authority of the North Countrys board of directors approved its 2013-14 budget Thursday.

DANCs fiscal year runs from April 1 through March 31.

The budget includes increases in health insurance and state pension costs. Compared with fiscal year 2012-13, spending on benefits for the authoritys employees is projected to jump nearly 9 percent, from $2,047,882 to $2,229,743. That increase is largely because of a 14.2 percent rise in health insurance premiums and climbing state pension costs; the authority now has 67 employees in the state pension system.